Sole Survivor

Scholastic Biography

by Ruthanne Lum McCunn

Tells the story of a ship's steward who, after his vessel was torpedoed in 1942, survived for 133 days alone on a wooden raft

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Survival, Adventure, 20th Century, Biography, Audiobook

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Ruthanne Lum McCunn is an American novelist and editor of Chinese and Scottish descent.

Reviews

[C. G. Telcontar · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the most obscure stories from the second world war you're likely to stumble across, this book relates a Chinese steward's survival for 133 days in the Atlantic Ocean after his merchant ship was sunk by a U boat. The author does a credible job of breaking up the monotony of the man's experiences on the raft with tales from his childhood and his wartime service aboard merchant ships, but still, survival non fiction only has so many places to go and when you're stuck on a raft with this guy, the selection of material is pretty thin.

The story is readable, and it's short. It does not have the extended agony of Unbroken, for example, where the survivors endured so long in a lifeboat only to be captured by the Japanese.

If you're looking for something different in survival stories during the war, this might be for you, and it has the virtue of featuring the culture of a Chinese man and how he approached survival perhaps differently than an American or Brit would have.

One aspect I did note is that he seemed to have little to no sense of having lost valuable shipmates or any concerns over the fate of the others on board his ship at all. Understandably, he was not treated well as a Chinese crewman, but one would think he'd have some thoughts about the other stewards aboard the ship. Certainly no sense of survivor guilt seeps through the story.

Poon Lim holds the dubious world record of longest survival at sea, a record I'm certain no one wants to attempt to break. He seems to have lived well after the war, and to have looked back on his ordeal as the great event of his life, rather than as the torture it must have been at the time.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty much a "what you see is what you get" sort of book. Expecting a harrowing tale of survival at sea? Well, you got it. Particularly well drawn is the portrait of Poon Lim, the survivor in question, who during his 133-day ordeal is transformed from a passive and almost dimwitted lackey into a fairly resourceful, strong-willed person.

During the first half of the book, in fact, I was so irritated by Lim's fecklessness and stupidity that I nearly gave up on the story, but I knew that something had to happen in order for him to survive. The author did a good job of getting into Lim's head to show how this transformation came about. (I'd wondered how she did this, but the postscript detailing her research methods made it clear that she'd had the chance to interview Lim himself.)

Woven into the tale of survival at sea are fragments of Lim's earlier life, particularly interactions with his parents, which he was able to draw inspiration from in order to deal with challenges he met. Lim's eventual inventiveness and the solutions he finds to find adequate food, water, and shelter are approached in an interesting way -- the reader "discovers" the solutions along with Lim and thus vicariously shares each small victory. There's a surprisingly lyrical quality to some of the sections, particularly toward the end when Lim finds an odd sort of peace that he'd never known before.

I probably should have read rather than listened to this book as I wasn't very fond of the narrator. In this case, I really would have preferred a male narrator -- Johanna Ward, while a very clear voiced narrator, had a peculiarly schoolmarmish diction that just didn't jive with the tale. I grew weary of her over-enunciated k's and t's -- fine, I suppose, if one's doing Gilbert-and-Sullivan operetta but completely unnecessary here. Passages in which the author describes fairly gruesome things, such as drinking urine, seemed particularly out-of-sync with the voice of the narrator.

[Layla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really struggled to finish this book. I respect 133 days alone on a raft would not be fun. I get it would be repetitive and challenging but every page seemed to be the same. I kept reading out of interest to see how Lim made it off the raft. Out of 220 pages. It's only the very last sentence that answers that question. I do hope Lim lives the rest of his life in peace and gets the luxuries he deserves.

[Gene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book. I wanted to read this one for a while and don't regret having finally done so. The book left me with one nagging question though; What happened to the other survivors? Poon Lim said he saw a handful of other survivors on a raft around the time that he got on his raft. He even wonders what happened to those other survivors during his ordeal at times. At the end of the book, we get to read the submarine's log and that log mentions TEN survivors getting on a raft. So what happened to these men? I would've liked some explanation, or at the very least the acknowledgement that nothing is known of their faith.

[Jeanie Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lim Poon was the sole survivor of the Benlomond ship, that was sunk by German U-Boat torpedos. On a small wooden raft, he miraculously managed to survive for 133 days. This book recounts his incredible tale of survival. I found Lim to be an admirable person who displayed unwavering determination despite facing unimaginable hardships. This included enduring the heart-wrenching cruelty of being spotted by a passing ship that could have saved him, only to be abandoned and left alone on the vast sea. I was captivated by this story, and I highly encourage others to read it and discover the incredible journey of this man.

[Anne Vandenbrink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poon Lim was the only one to survive the torpedoing of his ship in 1941. He was lucky enough to grab onto the a life raft stocked with some fresh water and tinned food. But it didn't last him the 133 days he spent adrift. Fashioning a fish hook from the spring of a flashlight, he was able to catch some fish. The canvas covering caught rain water to drink. But he had some harrowing times with storms, no food or water. An amazing story of survival.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read a couple of these adrift books, such as the man that lasted over 2 years stranded in the ocean. In this book covering 133 days adrift, I never connected with Poon Lim and I felt the author could have done more to really make the story come alive for the reader. Some of the reasons for these limitations are listed at the end.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Poon Lim's survival after his ship was destroyed during WW2 is remarkable. He battled starvation, exposure the elements, and the mental anguish of isolation in the Atlantic for over four months. It is a story that does have a happy ending, against all odds.

[Marnie Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish..

[Kayrene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story; Sole Survivor, the story of Poon Lim, who was castawayed after his freighter was attacked by a German sub. 133 days at sea. Great story.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

NEW

[معاذ Muaath · Rating 2 out of 5]

صفحت (بون ليام) في ويكيبيديا تعطيك القصة وتكفي. التفاصيل المملة جدا في الكتاب كثيرة. يعني الكاتبة تحاول تصنع لك فيلم بحيث تتصور التفاصيل وهذا ما أعجبني.

[Tiffany Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of Poon Lim before, but once I did I was eager to read his story. The level of ingenuity, grit, and perseverance required to survive for 133 days at sea is astounding. An incredible tale of survival. You can’t make this stuff up! How wonderful that he lived to tell about it and share what humans are truly capable of.

[Jason Goodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends of mine who had read my books, were kind enough to loan me this little paperback book from a dubious publisher in San Francisco. As soon as I started reading this, I realized what people mean when they say that they could not put the book down.
This guy, Poon Lim, can barely speak English, he is thrown into the sea after his ship has been torpedoed and it sinks so fast he is sucked down to unknown depths before he pops to the surface like a cork. He is the only survivor of this act of war. The guy stumbles on a life raft just ahead of the sharks and proceeds to stay alive, and sane, for 133 days on the surface of the Pacific Ocean. It is a gripping tale, well told in the simple honest terms of a Chinese peasant who signed on as a steward aboard this British vessel.
Last night, I read over half of the book, tonight, I will finish it, so bear with me.

[Jesse Greenslade · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a pretty well written account of an amazing ordeal, what it lacks in literary complexity it makes up in the fact that it was a real story. You can really imagine yourself being stranded and alone in the middle of the sea while reading this. Towards the beginning it is a bit hard to read because you want to scream at Lin for all the mistakes he makes, but he gets smarter and you really feel a sense of pride when things go right. When things go wrong though you really feel sad and angry. Overall this book was a good book but not for everyone, if you think you would like a survival story with some interesting racial undertones then this is the book for you.

[drowningmermaid · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actually read a different version of this put out by scholastic.

Hated it. But I still remember parts of it quite vividly.

I think it had something to do with the fact that I was used to "sanitized" adventure novels. This one talks all about him eating his own poop and drinking his own piss and cutting off pieces of himself to eat because he's so dang hungry.

I remember it as being a pretty dull read, despite those bits. That's toward the end. Mostly he's got nothing to do but drift. Doesn't have anyone to talk to. I also ended the book wondering if we were actually getting the true version of events. I wasn't sure I trusted him as reliable source material.

[Michael]

I read this book as a kid, and remembered to list it because its protagonist, Poon Lim, was referenced in "Life of Pi." Although neither the writing nor the subject matter seemed particularly noteworthy at the time, nonetheless after the better part of twenty years I feel like I could almost rewrite this book from memory. I would certainly have no qualms recommending this book to an adult, but I especially consider it an excellent choice for younger "reluctant readers" inclined to shy away from the "reading list."

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic writing, as always, from Ms McCunn. Especially insightful on how fatalistic Mr Poon was from his peasant upbringing in China and how he had to struggle to become an active, forward-thinking / planning agent in order to survive - although his early inaction also contributed to his survival (as it helped him avoid rash decisions based upon too little experience).

[Bill Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good accounting of the adventure

I chose this book because I enjoy reading how human nature can overcome great adversity. What Poon achieved was extraordinary. Unlike most sole survivors he was able to walk off his raft alone having only lost 40 pounds.
The author keeps you interested through a long and boring ordeal. Well worth the read.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing story of determination, desperation, and endurance. I did not really care for Poon Lim's personality or helplessness at first, but he eventually reached deep inside himself for the will to survive and creative ways to do so.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a human is capable of has always amazed me! I often try to think if I would have the presence of mind to come up with these ideas. If I ever get stuck on a deserted island or a raft out at sea, I hope some of these stories of true survival inspire me to never give up. ;)

[Joshua Yoder · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Audio*
Overall it was a interesting and enjoyable book. I never thought that my attention could be kept by a story with one main character on a life raft for 133 days but it was.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this probably about 17 years ago as a pre teen and I have never forgotten it. A riveting read of a man's survival on a raft for 5 months.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story of human fortitude against overwhelming odds.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Chinese man is the sole survivor of a torpedoed boat in World War II. It is the amazing true story of how he survived for 133 days alone on a raft in the sea. It is well-written and easy to read

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book. Read it 15 years or more ago and think of it many times. Each chapter is one story of the sole survivor of a ship wreck

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parts of the story were interesting, but I felt as though I was on the raftf or 133 days with this guy. It would be a good one to have if you become stranded at sea, but otherwise I'd skip it.

[Saman Perera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great survival story. Book could have been better !

[Amy Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book on surviving a harrowing experience.

[Wyatt Guerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book so far and I'm really looking forward to the ending, I think its going to be great. So far its cool to see just how hard he has to work to survive.